


Needles

by agentofserenity



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 04:50:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14686845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentofserenity/pseuds/agentofserenity
Summary: Jemma’s echolalia tends to fire off at the worst possible moments. However, she’s learning that her friends love her regardless and learning to accept herself for all she is.





	Needles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [buckysbears (DrZebra)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrZebra/gifts).



> This is from a prompt “Jemma + Echolalia”. It did veer slightly off track but hopefully you enjoy this work, ft. autistic Fitz (because let’s be honest can I even write him any other way) and some Mama May because she sneaks into so many of my fics.  
> Also this is set in S1 post-yes men but pre-ward.

Jemma was fully in doctor mode as she gathered up supplies. Skye had caught her leg on a rusty nail after rushing down a corridor too fast and tripping over. This meant that she needed a tetanus shot, which the girl was none too happy about but generally these type of things fell to Jemma for her to sort out. She did enjoy helping, sure it wasn’t her exact area of expertise but it was nice to know she could make a difference in several areas of her work, it made her feel useful and helpful. She prepared the syringe, looking over as she finished to see Skye’s face wrinkled in disgust.

“I mean, do I have to get this? I could just take a chance with tetanus, I’m sure it’s not that bad” Skye said and Jemma rolled her eyes, walking back over to where the girl was sat propped up on the table with her leg extended in front of her, bandaging wrapped tightly around the wound.

“Tetanus causes your jaw to lock up and painful muscle spasms that can affect your breathing, and that’s just beside it being potentially fatal” Jemma warned her, giving the girl a stern look which soon moved to a more concerned look “I already had to try save your life once, I don’t wish to go through that again over something like this”

Skye looked down glumly and mumbled “sorry”, to which Jemma rested a hand on her shoulder a moment to comfort her.

“I know a lot of people find needles unpleasant and would rather avoid them at all costs, but this is for your own good Skye” She rolled up the girls sleeve and swabbed an area at the top of her arm with antiseptic. Skye managed to stay still, even though she was cringing and everything in her body wanted to flinch away. Jemma rested the needle on the point on the girls arm before injecting it in, waiting the appropriate amount of time before drawing the syringe back out and covering the tiny hole with a small band aid.

“There, all done” Jemma said with a small smile as she moved to take off her gloves and dispose of the used syringe.

“Ugh, needles” was Skye’s response, though the needles was said in such a way and tone of voice that Jemma found amusing. She laughed slightly, and offered her arm to help Skye up off the table.

“Now, if you were just a bit more careful about running through the corridors of the bus” Jemma said and Skye snorted

“You’re no fun Jem!” She teased her as they walked back towards the common room together with their arms linked. Jemma kept replaying the way Skye said needles in her mind, saying it aloud very quietly a couple of times without even really thinking about it. Fitz was there when they arrived.

“How’s the patient?” He asked, looking to Skye who stuck her tongue out at him and sat down next to him on the couch, swinging both her legs up so they were lying across his lap, giggling at his face having her feet in front of them.

“Needles!” Was Jemma’s immediate response, not even aware she was copying Skye’s voice exactly too. They both laughed softly and Jemma rolled her eyes, clearly she had been spending too much time with Skye lately.

“Yeah, needles suck and Simmons poked me with a massive one” Skye said, holding her hands out to ‘demonstrate’ how big the needle was.

“That’s a gross miscalculation and you know it” Jemma warned her in a mock serious tone, sitting on the chair to the side of the couch. The TV was on a documentary Fitz had been watching and Skye whined that it was boring, trying to reach for the TV remote.

“Hey, I’m the sick one! I get to pick!” She argued with Fitz, using her best puppy dog eyes until he eventually just sighed and gave in. She flicked onto a different show and they all just watched quietly, Jemma was still repeating “needles” under her breath at random intervals. Sometimes she felt the compulsion to say it because it felt nice, copying Skye’s voice had a nice tone to it, but often it was just completely subconscious. Agent May had walked in whilst they were watching tv, she was sat eating her sandwich at the little breakfast bar behind the couch. Once she finished her sandwich, she walked over to them.

“Everything’s ok, then?” She asked, eyes flicking between Skye and Jemma. The woman was as stoic as usual but to a trained eye there was a hint of care in her words. Damn, why did these kids have to worm their way into her heart. She looked to them: a skilled but shy engineer, a highly strung scientist with two phds and a hacking genius/ trainee who they found living in a van. Not who she ever thought would be making up her team, but Melinda May found that she wouldn’t trade away any of them. Even when Skye was acting like an annoying child, as she demonstrated straight away, kicking her leg up so it both covered Fitzs face to break his concentration on the tv, much to his annoyance, and ended up right in Mays face with the bandage clear to see. She took the offered foot in her hand to inspect the damage before putting it back down so it was just resting on Fitzs lap again.

“You’ll live” was May’s assessment and Skye snorted.

“See Jemma, I didn’t need your big fancy needles!” She said, turning to the other girl

“That’s not what I said Skye” May warned her, the slightest hint of an affectionate eye roll at the girls antics before she turned to Simmons “I’m assuming by needles that you gave her a tetanus shot?”

“Needles!” Jemma repeated in May’s tone of voice, which felt really nice and even more fun than Skye’s voice until she realised what she had done “So sorry. Yes, I wasn’t sure what vaccinations she’s had so it was the safest option to prevent her from getting sick”

May for her part didn’t seem phased by Jemma repeating her. Fitz watched as the girl repeated it a few more times happily, going between Skye’s voice and May’s whilst the older woman’s focus was back on her friend. May looked to him questioningly as Jemma was now not paying attention to her surroundings, off lost in her thoughts as she continued to repeat the phrases happily to herself.

“It’s echolalia, it can happen as part of being autistic where someone repeats a noise or word or phrase. It can be like a vocal stim or can also sometimes be used as a form of communication” Fitz explained. Both May and Skye nodded, the whole team had been so supportive of Jemma and Fitz being autistic though they had both been nervous to disclose their diagnosis. Jemma in fact hadn’t until recently, when she had a particularly bad meltdown whilst Fitz wasn’t around and May had been the one to help her though it. Jemma seemed to come back to herself and realise the others were talking about her, hiding her head shyly Fitz could see the beginnings of anxious stims taking over.

“It’s ok Jemma, you’re fine” May said, which took the girl a little by surprise. She didn’t think May had ever called her by her first name before “Fitz was just explaining echolalia to us” 

“The repetition of a noise, word or phrase usually heard that someone latches on to and repeats either vocally or in their head” Jemma said, her voice monotone as her hands pressed against the sides of her jaw and neck, a usual anxious stim for her.

“That’s it. Sometimes it seems fun, but I get sometimes it must feel really annoying too” Skye said and Jemma nodded, letting out a small breath she’d been holding, glad neither of the others were judging her for it and that they seemed to understand.

May straightened herself up and looked to her watch. “Skye, we have work to do. Fitzsimmons, you two are due back in the lab in 10” she told them and everyone started getting ready to head back to their day. Fitz and Skye walked on ahead, discussing something and Jemma made to follow them before she felt a hand on her arm and saw it was May. 

“Jemma” she began, looking at the girl “You should never feel ashamed of being autistic, okay? It’s hard sometimes and I understand that. But you don’t have to hide anything, not around us. Not around family” She patted the girls arm and Jemma  
looked like she was still processing it but gave May a warm smile.

“Now go on, Fitz will be waiting for you” She motioned for Jemma to go and began leaving herself. They met Skye and Fitz at the lab entrance and once May had turned to leave with Skye, Fitz watched her still staring off at them and asked if she was okay.

“Yes, I’m fine” Jemma said, and for the first time in a while she felt like she meant it.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to prompt me on my tumblr agentofserenity and let me know what you thought, I love reading your comments!


End file.
